Murder on the Orient
Express
Director: Sidney Lumet
Year: 1974
Rating: 7.5
This was a gigantically star studded film for its time which was probably
its biggest selling point. A combination of older classic stars with some
younger ones who were very big at the time. Of course with so many of them
only a few get much screen time. I had forgotten that Ingrid Bergman won the
Oscar for Supporting Actress, which as much as I like Ingrid is rather befuddling
after watching this again for the first time in 40 years. Since I also read
the book ages ago and my memory isn't completely gone, I knew who the killer
was and that no doubt took some of the suspense out of the film.
My main complaint I suppose is with Albert Finney's portrayal of Hercule
Poirot. I have read too many of the books in which Poirot is a quiet unassuming
gentleman who lets his little gray cells do all the thinking. Finney decided
to make Poirot a bellowing bellicose Belgium and it just feels all wrong.
His accent often wanders as well. David Suchet in the TV series was much closer
to the mark and if I recall Peter Ustinov who played him in six films was
rather decent. Of course, Tony Randall's Poirot in The ABC Murders was quite
awful. I will be curious to see how Branagh does him.
This is perhaps Agatha Christie's best know book. It has the exoticism of
a train ride beginning in Istanbul, the class of the elite in the 1930's and
an intricately plotted murder. It is a well-produced film and is directed
by the great Sidney Lumet. It seems an odd choice for him though as most of
his films around this time - Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network - had a
real edge to them while this is rather a sit back, relax and watch an ornate
murder and solution unfold slowly before your eyes. It begins with a child/murder
child kidnapping in 1930 clearly with the Lindberg case in mind and then five
years later a man is murdered on the train. Suspects abound. At a little over
two hours it moves slowly as Poirot questions everyone but little by little
your gray cells should spot the clues as Poirot does and put the puzzle together.
Others in this rather amazing cast are Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Jacqueline
Bisset, Michael York, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Richard Widmark, Martin
Balsam and Vanessa Redgrave. One of them is the victim. One of them is a murderer.
